In each of our previous race reports here we've had to say we weren't quite there yet in regards to being able to run with the fast guys in our class. But each time we felt we were getting closer, creeping up on being competitive by working at many little detail things. With Race #7 it looks like we may have finally gotten there as we found ourselves fighting for the lead in two races, officially leading a lap and having one heck of a fun scrap for third in the final.

Prep

The only significant prep work done above and beyond the usual (the list of "the usual" keeps getting longer and longer) was some new seat padding ideas I had and a check of the kart's weight distribution on Butch McCall's scales at his McCall Motorsports Shop in Grove City.

The attention to the seat padding was the result of the regularity of rib injuries getting a little old. The last two times out I managed to take hits in the ribs sever enough to take all the fun out of the driving for the rest of the day and had me playing the How Much Advil Is Too Much Game. And as much as I like to think I play through the pain and not let it affect me, I suppose those injuries had to take the edge off my ability to attack the course. Enough was enough and I spent the better part of a Saturday morning trying different configurations that would soften the inevitable blows.

"Good luck with the racing. One piece of advice that I can give after ten years of kart racing - attention to detail. You need to make sure that all is perfect if you want to win. Engine, kart and tyre set-up is all important. Check that the tyre diameters are all the same (per axle) and the corner weights are like-wise (with you seated in the kart). You can use the bathroom scales for this as long as Lynn does not catch you."

We found things a little out of whack and with Butch's help and experience we got things back in whack. Butch said with the changes we made I could expect the kart to turn in (to the corners) better. I looked forward to that but I really felt the adjustment we made was not going make that big a difference.  I'm happy to report that I was wrong.

Race Seven

The forecast was for scattered thunderstorms again. Something like the fourth race in a row? Nevertheless, we soldiered out there and set up base camp. We had a few maintenance items to tend to which we did with no problem. We had left the taller gear, installed for the ill-fated backwards event, in the kart to practice on. Many things had changed since the last time we had tried it so it was worth a shot. A long shot but a shot nonetheless. The air temperature hovered around 60 degrees Fahrenheit most of the day - much cooler than we've had since very early in the year.

Practice

We only had two primary objectives and a couple of secondary ones for practice. 1) We needed to see if there was any gain using the taller gear - there wasn't, we were running out of grunt before Turn 2. And 2) whether we would be able to get enough heat into the engine with the cooler ambient temperature. We had taped over the the cool air intake as is the custom but apparently over did it a bit as by four laps in I was beginning to see alarming numbers on the temp guage and couldn't get them to come down by adjusting in more fuel. But we had our answers to the primary concerns as well as our secondary ones - the padding was protecting my ribs and the tires pressures we were trying seemed to work well. But the nicest surprise in that session was the leap in predictable handling. It would actually go where I was pointing it and I found this downright refreshing.

Special Guests

At the end of the driver's meeting we were delighted to find our friends, Bill and Graham Gibson waiting for us. Bill has been a "hill-mate" at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course quite a few times for the Champ Car and SCCA Runoffs weekends over the years. Bill still gets a twinkle in his eye when he talks cars and racing - even though its been well over thirty years since he was zipping around the west side of Columbus in his Triumph with his flat cap and pipe. For Graham it was like old home week as he knew two or three boys there racing in the Junior and Rookie classes. We heard "Hey, look! Graham's here!" before we managed to stroll even halfway back to the Conlin SpeedSports encampment. We always go faster when we have friends there cheering us on so we were very happy Bill and Graham decided to spend their Sunday afternoon with us.

Heat 1 - First official lap led

For the first heat we drew the pole position with Jonathan Dick next to me, Jack Humphrey just behind and Aaron Blue in P4. I set a comfortable pace coming up to the green flag, a little quicker than usual perhaps and wasn't out of the last corner very far before dropping the throttle. The combination gave me a jump on Jonathan but by the time we approached Turn Two the familiar red nose of Humprhey's number 8 was coming up the inside. I don't know what Jack does to those motors but when he was next to me his tach was reading 7200 rpm and I thought "Man, I'd like to have a motor like that".

Jack had the inside line for the left kink that is Turn 2 but I was able to stay with him on the outside and when Jack moved to the right to defend the inside line going into the right-hand Turn 3, I was already there and I wasn't going away. Things got a little wild there as we rubbed on each other going into the corner until Jack had to give way and I was back in the lead.  I protected the inside line just a bit into Four and was really surprised not to come under attack at the end of the long straight entering Five. Once through Five I knew it was unlikely I'd be passed the rest of the lap since we've always been as fast as the others in the twisty bits.

So, the conclusion of that first lap was the realization of one of the goals we had set for ourselves back in July - actually lead an official lap. But in racing you don't have much time to savor these milestones and in this case about 7 seconds later I had Jack creeping up the inside again going into Two. It was like deja vu all over again, a carbon copy of the lap before. Only it didn't have the same outcome.

At the time I really wasn't sure how it all started - only how it finished which was with me skidding backwards to the outside of the track, Jack swinging sideways around Turn 3, Jonathan trying to find a way through and Aaron looping around. Jack got away, Jonathan followed him out and I was able to recover before Aaron could. That's pretty much the way we all finished, I couldn't really make up any distance on Jack and Jonathan although they seemed to be having a good race.

Later, when I was talking to Jonathan about what happened out there on Lap 2, Turn 3, he assured me he wasn't involved at all. I thought I might have moved over on him and started it all myself. Aaron overheard the conversation and came over to assure me (with a glance toward the #8 kart) that it wasn't my fault either. Later, when I had more time to reflect, I think it was a matter of Jack chopping over to protect the inside line with me already there. He probably didn't see me but it was a pretty aggressive defensive maneuver so he must have suspected I was going to do the same thing as I had the lap before. At first it disturbed me a bit that I couldn't recall how it all transpired but I think by the point we came together my attention and concentration had shifted to the apex of the corner and didn't expect Jack to change lines so suddenly.

But needless to say we were thrilled to be finally in there really mixing it up.

Heat 2 - Forgetting to turn

Our starting positions were reversed for the second race putting Aaron on the pole, then Jack, then Jonathan in the second row with me next to him. At the green flag those positions were maintained but converted, almost as if rehearsed, into single file line to go through the first turn.

I gained just a bit on Jonathan in that first corner but on the straight our speeds were matched. At the exit of Two however, rather than move with the others to the left for the approach to Three, I stayed to the right and was able to shoot down the inside into second place as Jonathan and Jack got stacked up behind Aaron. Two positions gained in one move. This felt really cool and it must of looked pretty cool because it was one of the first things Bill mentioned when I got back to the pits.

I guess I was so impressed by the move myself that when I got to the end of the backstraight I forgot to turn for Five. Actually, it had begun misting just slightly but still enough to slicken up the road. As I chased Blue towards Turn 5, I was too intent on closing the gap and failed to mind the fact that I was arriving there on cold tires on a damp, downhill piece of asphalt at unabated speed.

Just for an instant I though I might keep it on the track but the left rear wheel went over the curb and when that happens there the kart seems to get sucked out into the grass. I tried to ease back onto the track but the long, wet grass provided too much resistance and ultimately the motor stalled under the load. Race 2 done. And of course as I watched the race progress, Jack, who I'd been ahead of began to fall of the pace with a fuel pick up problem. I honestly think a second place could have been ours. I've really got to stop throwing myself off the track so that when these other guys run into trouble I can benefit from it.

Feature - Tooth and nail

As our group assembled on the grid, the sky began to fall. A heavy mist was settling in and put a big question mark over track condition. Earlier in the day I issued Tracy two 1/2 inch open end wrenches that she was to keep with her in case the track suddenly went damp and we would have to loosen up the chassis for more flex and better grip. But in the excitement and anxiety just before the feature, I had completely forgotten about that option.  I kept monitoring the condition of the racing surface by watching the race before ours and by dragging my foot across the pit lane asphalt occasionally. Maybe it was my concerned look or just the repetition of my checks but Tracy seemed to read my mind and upon looking her way once, she held up the two wrenches as if to say "well, do we need to use these?"

If we were going to make that chassis adjustment we had just enough time to do it. I wasn't convinced that we should but fortunately I saw Butch McCall close by and tapped his years of experience: "Yeah, make it as loose as you can". We got the kart loosened up just in time to get the rest of my stuff on and jump into the kart before the gate opened to let us out. A little intense excitement just before the Big Race always gets the adrenaline flowing.

That DNF in the second heat put us in starting position #4 for the final. Humphrey's and Blue's motors are still victimizing me out of the hole and so I was looking to get a good (or even a jumped) start. The problem with a pace lap start in any type of racing is that by the time the following racers realize the pole man has put his foot in it, it's too late, he's got a jump. He's making power when the other drivers are just realizing the change in engine note or that the gap between bumpers has begun to increase. On racecars with suspensions, sometimes the first clue is the chassis squatting down in the rear. But we got a great start and were able to get on the power almost at the same instant as Jack and it helped.

For a moment on the run down to Turn One I thought I might slot into third position behind Aaron and in front of Jonathan but I couldn't clear the #74 kart and had to run a bit wide. To not fall off the track at the exit of One I had to back off slightly and that let Jonathan through on the inside. He was clearly ahead through Two and I had no chance to sneak down the inside like I did to Humphrey in the first heat.

But so began the best race I've had in about 10 years. It was only for 3rd place but in racing you can have just as much fun fighting for 20th position as 1st. Jonathan had a little more motor than us on the straights or maybe he's just better at getting off the turns - either way we'd lose ground to him on the backstraight, mainstraight and the run from Turn One to Turn Two. But in the windy parts of the track we'd close up and stick to him scratching and clawing to find a way past.

This went on for about four of the eight laps. On the third or fourth lap I apex'd late out of Turn Nine and had a run on him going into Ten, the west end of the oval. We were both already turned into the corner and heading for the apex when I realized I was not going to be able to get my bumper into his peripheral vision. Not wanting to clobber him I got on the brakes and pinched it down further, putting two wheels into the grass. At just about the same instant, Jonathan did realize I was inside of him and turned out to give me room. The result was we both screwed up the corner and then it was a matter of which of us could recover and get back up to speed quicker.

Once again it was pretty much a dead heat as we resumed just about the same as we had been before my attempt. But my little surprise may have rattled Jonathan just a little bit because later that lap or perhaps one later he made a mistake in Four and I was able to get by. I had set up for a late apex coming out of four hoping I'd have that little extra speed on him at the end of the straight. Going through Four he got loose on the exit and lost all his revs. I never really saw him again but the crew told me he was for the most part all over me for the second half of the race.

With just over a lap to go I got a bump from behind and figured it was Jonathan. I started making the kart a little bit wider for that last lap to keep him behind me. What I didn't know was that it wasn't Jonathan but the leader of the Briggs Super Heavy class which started about 20 seconds behind our group (2 class races within 1 overall race). He wanted to get though to stay ahead of second place in his race and since we don't have rear-view mirrors a tap on the straight is a common communiqué in karting.  Well, all I knew was that Jonathan was back there somewhere and I wasn't letting anyone through!

That is until I shot off the exit of Eight trying to stay ahead of him. Imagine my relief when, as I slithered and slued back and forth through the grass at full throttle (there was no way I was going to lift), it wasn't Jonathan that charged by but the Heavy leader. I was able to get back on the track and I don't know how close Jonathan got to me in those last two corners but I was able to hold on to finish an exhausted third.

And with that Team Goal #2 was attained: Crack the top three before the end of the season - honest-to-goodness, fight-for-it top three finish, not a technical third inherited through DNFs or DQs.

And as always in this sport, it was a team effort - nice job girls and thanks.

No practice for the gals

By the time the track was available for open practice, the drizzle that had misted our race had fairly soaked the track. Dana suited up and literally tip-toed the kart out onto the course only to spin at turn 3. She tried a few more laps but it was hopeless, the kart understeering uselessly. So frustrating was it that she came off the track on her own. Tracy wisely had no interest in going out after hearing Dana's description of the kart's behavior. So we packed it up and headed for the celebratory Dairy Queen to relive our glory moments and look forward to the next race.

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